Foodzie Tasting Box - August

I promise I will post something in between the August & September tasting box. And from now on I will try to spread these out so you don't get cravings to buy expensive foodstuffs online all at once.

August

Gourmet Scooping Ketchup - This ketchup came in the size bottle you get at fancy hotels when you get breakfast in bed and they bring you jams for your toast. I had it on a hamburger and discovered it tasted a lot more like chili sauce than ketchup. The sauce had a real zing but it wasn't as good as the standard Heinz Chili sauce so I won't be buying it special. 4

Serendipity Frozen Hot Chocolate - As luck would have it, we just tasted this frozen concoction recently at the Serendipity cafe on the grounds of the Caesar's Palace hotel in Vegas. At the cafe, I thought the drink was just okay and a little overly sweet and grainy for my taste--kind of like some of the iced drinks at the Coffee Bean. We will probably try out this mix, but right now we're still aware of how it tasted in the wild and not interested in trying it again, even if it is famous.

Sweet Potato Chips, North Fork Potato Chips - I have not tried these yet but I plan to this week

Justin's Nut Butter Sampler - I have noticed Justin's peanut butter packets before at REI. I have noticed their jars of butter on grocery shelves too, wondering who would pay over $10 for a jar of peanut butter. The sampler pack included regular peanut butter, honey peanut butter, chocolate hazelnut butter and almond maple butter.

O. M. G. Two of these butters were the best I've ever tasted. The honey peanut butter was a nice mix of sweet and salty with a slightly crunchy texture even though it was a creamy variety. It's the kind of peanut butter you can tell is actually made from peanuts. However, compared to the maple almond butter the honey pb was nothing special. I've never had almond butter before but this one was so delicious I actually bought the jar within a week of tasting it. The texture was again a familiar nut crunch but the creaminess of creamy butter. The flavor was out of this world. This is pretty much the best nut spread I have ever tasted and I have joined the ranks of people who pay too much for peanut butter. The regular PB was not very sweet which I suppose is the point but I didn't really like it. The chocolate hazelnut butter was also not that sweet and had a bit of a bitter aftertaste. I am weary to even finish the remaining package of the hazelnut butter.

CHB: 3

MA: 10

HP: 9

P: 3

Marshmallow Crunch Bar - This was a huge rice crispy treat. Is there really much that can be done to improve a rice crispy treat? Is there really a reason to try and recreate this poor-man's delicacy? No, I don't think so. These are such a cheap dessert to whip up that it should be made that way every time---melt some butter and marshmallows, mix, shape eat. A great cooking project for home and a warm treat beats a plastic-wrapped one any day. 5

Nut and Herb Bar - These "healthy" bars are made nut/dairy/so free for all the allergy prone. I have not tried these yet but of the two bars we have already passed off one to our gluten free friend in hopes that he can find a new indulgence. I haven't tried one for myself yet.

Foodzie Tasting Box - July

July

Fleur de sel Peanut Brittle - We have not tried this yet but it is on our list. This peanut brittle has a touch of sea salt and vanilla

Organic Olive Oil - This miniature bottle of olive oil has a future in ice cream, that dream has not yet been met.

Black Truffle & White Cheddar Popcorn - It took me a long time to eat this popcorn from the brand 479 degrees, but when I did I was totally hooked. The airy puffed corn is light in both calories and taste. The flavors were delicious and I was really satisfied with one bag and happy it was surprisingly low in calories. This product comes in lots of different flavors and is another one of those products that I would definitely buy again. It is on my list if I ever do indeed order from Foodzie. 9

Dried Cherries - I have not yet eaten these

Fennel Pollen Shortbread - Shortbread isn't my go-to dessert (it's chocolate chip cookies or ice cream for the wondering minds) so I haven't really been focused on this small box of cookies but apparently it is all Joey can do to keep his hands off it. These could be delicious and we will let you know when we try them

Organic Heirloom Emmer Farro - Farro is one of those fancy grains that is all the rage these days like quinoa. I haven't tried it yet. I'm worried that it will be tasteless to me like quinoa which everyone seems to adore. I'll try it next time I make some kind of grain salad. Joey won't touch the stuff so it will be all on me. It does say you can substitute with barley though so maybe I can make a vegetable soup

Foodzie Tasting Box - June

June

Falafel Chips - I thought these were really good and a nice addition to hummus, they were crispy but not too flavorful without a dip. I also like eating them in the car not feeling like I was having a terrible snack. 7

Green Tomato Relish - This relish looks gross and tastes about the same. I tried to eat it with some pork we were having and found the flavor to be off-putting. I still have the condiment in my fridge wondering what to do with the rather generous jar. I am not generally a fan of sweet relish but I just thought this was too sweet and not as acidic as I hoped. 3

Blueberry Acai Gummies - The strong blueberry smell really turned me off of these gummy candies. Every time the bag was opened I was overcome by the scent. Needless to say, Joey ate all these. He liked them and continued to eat the bag even though the smell drove me crazy. 7

Spiced Almonds - I had a few of these almonds covered in a sweet and spicy spice rub but Joey really loved the, This is one of the few products we've gotten in a tasting box and immediately been interested in purchasing. They are from Glenview, IL where we happen to be traveling next month. Maybe we'll try to pick them up locally before buying online. 9

Coconut Oat Bar - this granola bar meats sweet treat was another traveler with us to Vegas--and back. We still haven't eaten it but I've been told that it's super sweet and can't be eaten in one sitting.

Miso Chocolate Brownie - This product unfortunately didn't travel well and came slightly melted, I'm really weird about packaging and so the melty-mess in the thick plastic sort of grossed me out. I won't be trying this brownie. We plan to send it to someone at Joey's work. While I think Joey would like it, he's not a fan of Asian foods in most circumstances

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Foodzie Tasting Box - May

For a few months now, I have subscribed to the gourmet tasting box from Foodzie. At first I got the free box on a guest pass, but then I continued to fork over the money for a new surprise box every month. I think the novelty in the box is both the idea of a care package every month and a taste of products I otherwise would not buy because I'd deem them too expensive just for a trial. However, with this box it's different. I really feel like I'm getting something neat, new and possibly delicious. Until I decide to cancel my subscription, I will be reviewing each box on this blog. I will list all the items but may not review them all until I have actually tasted the item. Sometimes I am not the only eater, in that case I will provide the other person's review as well.

Foodzie is a gourmet food site that provides people with a way to buy artisan and gourmet local products from around the US. The word artisan may mean to you expensive and yes, it is the same here, but the samples are nice because then you know before you buy.

May

The rating scale is out of 10, 10 being the best

Dried Pineapple - We took this with us to Las Vegas and brought it back again and still have yet to open the package, luckily it lasts forever

Traditional Alfajores - These are these little sandwich cookies with fillings. Joey ate these as I was turned off by the foil packaging. 7

Lemon poppyseed and almond biscotti - I actually gave this to my sister because I don't like biscotti and she is always eating individually wrapped foods when I see her, verdict unknown

Assorted Fresh Herb Sea Salts - I tried the rosemary sea salt on potatoes, I thought it was okay but didn't impart as much rosemary flavor as I would have liked. I am interested in trying the truffle flavored one but Joey is weary of this mushroom sounding delicacy. 4

Pure Southern Iced tea - I just made the basic iced tea and didn't add sugar as I'm not a big fan of sweet tea. I thought this was going to make too much tea so I saved it for a special event, then it only made 2 qts--smaller than the pitcher we have. I thought it tasted like regular iced tea and nothing more. 5

Classic Seaweed Snack - I also gave this to my sister and didn't hear anything. Then, I was at whole foods the other day and saw someone buying the same product so it can't be terrible, right?

Easiest Strawberry Shortcake

For her birthday, Jenny requested strawberry shortcake for dessert. Before I got started, I quizzed her on what strawberry shortcake means to her. The answer was the biscuit like bottom with strawberries and a bit of whipped cream. I asked because it seems like people like a variety of desserts that they label strawberry shortcake--like angel food cake with strawberries and whipped cream, or those little yellow cups they sell in the produce section at the grocery store, or even a full cake layered with strawberries in the middle and whipped cream spread around the top and sides like frosting.

Jenny luckily chose the easiest recipe of them all (except for the pre-made ones I guess) and since I was on the rebound from caramel cake & dinner for 9, I was happy to make something easy.

I ended up using this recipe from the food network. I also shortcutted with store-bought whipped cream. I was planning to add a little almond extract to the shortcake but completely forgot in the heat of the moment. I didin't exactly follow the directions but the shortcake came out fluffy but dense and really delicious with the sweet strawberries. And did I mention this recipe is a real cinch? If you were hanging out at home having just mowed the lawn and learned that your neighbors were dropping in for dessert in 40 minutes, you could make this dish and take a shower! It's that easy.

Strawberry Shortcake

1 1/2 lb strawberries, hulled and quartered

2 C flour

2 t baking powder

1/4 t baking soda

5 T sugar, divided (3 & 2)

1 1/2 C heavy cream

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees

2. In a bowl, combine the dry ingredients and 2 T of the sugar stirring with a spoon. Add cream and stir until well combined.

3. Pour the batter into an 8x8 glass dish and spread the batter evenly with wet fingertips

4. Bake 18-20 minutes until golden brown or at least crispy on the top and browning on the edges and pulling away from the sides

5, Meanwhile, prepare the strawberries and place them in a bowl with the remaining 3T sugar (you may need less if your strawberries are really delicious. Cove the bowl and let sit in the fridge for at least 30 min but longer is better.

Once the shortcake is cool enough to handle slice into squares and serve sliced in half and stuffed with the strawberries and whipped cream.

Minnie's Caramel Cake - The Help

I was browsing Tastespotting a few months ago and came across this delicious looking rendition of Minnie's Caramel Cake - a recipe discussed in the very popular novel The Help. I showed it to my friends and we decided to have a Help party - see the movie and then eat cake together and discuss it. All of us have read the book so it should be a fun conversation.

After comparing our schedules we were dismayed to have to wait almost an entire month to see the movie together. But today the day has finally come and this is the cake that is in our future.

I was nominated to make the cake since I am the only one among us that has a dedicated to food blog and I also have cake pans. I was pretty confident with the recipe and was sure it would be easy to bake.

It turned out that it was easy to bake but the hard parts were things that always present difficulty to me when it comes to cake - getting the cakes out of the pan, stacking them, and getting the frosting consistency correct.

I followed the recipe exactly although I nearly omitted the 1/2 C of oil when I felt like the cake batter was already wet enough (I ended up putting a little less in) and since I haven't tasted the cake yet I'm not sure if it mattered.

My one tip for when you make the recipe, is that when you make the caramel frosting you must use it immediately. So have everything ready to move. You may want to have a helper at this time. If the caramel glaze starts to thicken it will be hard to pour and you will be moved to re-heat it on the stove. Don't do this! It will become slightly grainy. Just work quickly and you will not come across the issue. If you fear your ability to work quickly you may want to split the caramel recipe and make half of it first and half of it second so that it doesn't get thick.

Fresh Tomato Soup

My mom and her friend Moira have been making this fresh tomato soup at the height of the season for as long as I can remember. We've always had a surplus of tomatoes from my Grandpa's farm and this is one way to use lots. My mom never makes just one recipe, she doubles or triples the recipe and freezes the soup for a touch of summer in the cold winter months that follow.

The soup is very fresh tasting and really tastes like a bowl of tomatoes at the best time. I love the freshness and delicious flavors with a little Parmesan melted on top. If you have too many tomatoes, make this, you won't regret it.

Ingredients:

Blend these together in the food processor:
4 large carrots, peeled
4 stalks celery
3 medium onions

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1 green pepper, diced by hand
14 large ripe tomatoes, peeled
1/4 C. olive oil and 1/4 C. butter...or 1/2 C. olive oil
1/2 C. finely chopped fresh parsley (use food processor)
1 bay leaf
18 leaves fresh basil (more or less according to taste)
salt (according to taste), approximately 1 T.
freshly ground pepper to taste
Grated fresh Parmesan cheese - for serving

Directions
Heat oil (and butter) in heavy pan. Cook carrots, celery, onion, and green pepper in oil 20 minutes. Add tomatoes, bring to a boil, and continue cooking over moderate heat 25-30 minutes. Stir in parsley, bay leaf, basil, salt, and pepper. Cook 5 minutes. Blend slightly with immersion blender. Serve hot, sprinkled liberally with Parmesan cheese. This recipe freezes well.